Legislative Drafting Institute for Child Protection conducts first research project at SULC

Formed by Prof. Ruby Andrew, an expert in legislative drafting; and Adjunct Prof. Susan Nelson, ’14, LDICP is a national organization focused on child protection laws. The institute’s board of directors comprises members from across the country representing various professions, including psychology, social work, law, and community philanthropy.

LDICP was established to respond to the need for clearer, better researched, and more easily implementable laws in the area of child protection. The institute’s aim is to create highly specific legislation for organized grassroots groups seeking to accomplish a child-protective objective. Using a problem-solving methodology developed by the late emeritus professor of law and political studies Robert B. Seidman of the Boston University School of Law, the LDICP researches and produces child-protective legislation. With a process focused on data gathering, its policy recommendations are thoroughly grounded in evidence and rigorous analysis.

Eleven current SULC students participated in the summer legislative drafting course and research project led by Prof. Andrew. They were supported by Kaleya Harris, ’16, who served as a graduate intern; and Prof. Wendy Shea, who served as the project’s chief legal editor. Profiles of the student participants can be found here.

This summer’s research project was an in-depth analysis of laws regarding abuse of children in sports by coaches. The state-by-state and federal legislative research was conducted on behalf of the U.S. Track and Field Association that is concerned with various reporting laws throughout the country. The final report will include a synopsis of the current laws, as well as proposed federal and model state legislation designed to better protect children. It will be released online in November 2016.

To view legislation and summary reports as they become available, visit the SULC Legislative Drafting Institute for Child Protection website by clicking here or going to www.ldicp.org.